BISD reports on substitute shortage

During a recent board meeting, Breckenridge ISD provided insight into an issue that is currently affecting the district: a lack of substitute teachers.

BISD Superintendent, Bryan Allen, discussed the problem at last Monday’s meeting. Since Sept. 1, there have been zero days that the district has not had an unfilled substitute teacher position, according to Allen.

“We are averaging about (...) a 10% absence rate (...) of our staff each day, on average, which equates to about 18 absences each day. About seven of those jobs are unfilled each day, on average. No (substitute teacher) available, no sub takes the job,” Allen said. “When we’re averaging, we average about 11 jobs filled each day. So when we’re averaging 18 (teachers) out a day, and we’re (not) filling seven of those, you can see where the shortfall comes in.”

Allen said that the district currently has 30 substitute teachers on its call list, with another group waiting for fingerprinting or paperwork before they can be added.

“It’s not that we don’t have the subs, it’s that they’re choosing not to take the jobs, is what that data right there tells me,” Allen said. “Now I know (...), if we have a lot of elementary jobs, for example, and we’ve got a group of subs that they don’t want to work at elementary, they only want to work on the secondary, and we have some of those situations, that’s what kind of effects these numbers a little bit. But, kind of what I’m seeing here, is we’ve got subs on the list, and they’re choosing not to come in and work. I’m betting that Mondays and Fridays are a little bit higher, I know they’re usually higher as far as teachers being off on those days. Traditionally, from my experience, it’s also days that subs don’t want to work as much. So that may be part of the discrepancy there. This has been brought to my attention and maybe we’re not paying our subs enough to make them want to come to work.”

For the full story, click here to subscribe or log in to read the Wednesday, Sept. 29 edition of the Breckenridge American.